dear parents,

Matthew died at the age of 55 yesterday. He was born and raised in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Matthew’s parents both smoked, and often, his mother would be smoking at home right in front of him. This seemed to be a normal routine for matt to see his mom or dad smoking a cigarette when he came home from school and when he left for school. Smoking would look like it’s natural in Matt’s house, but the truth is that it really isn’t. Matt picked up his first cigarette when he was 13. And nobody was there to stop him, or show him that it was wrong. One cigarette a day led to a pack a day. And a pack led to three packs. Smoking was the cause of his mother’s death, and it was the cause of his.
Everyday in the United States alone, approximately 3,000 kids under the age of 18 start smoking. Many times people will say that smoking is caused by peer pressure. And that does hold some truth. There are so many questions as to why Matt even took that first puff. He probably didn’t even know what the consequences would be. “If mom and dad do it, it can’t be harmful.”
Statistics show that parents are the biggest influence in their children’s lives. And even through many teenagers would like to disagree, they are wrong. Smoking addiction can be passed on from generation to generation. Research shows that a child’s odds of daily smoking are reduced by more than 70 percent when compared to when both parents continue to smoke. I believe that poor Matt was a victim of having that addiction passed on to him. And the sad truth is that his death could have been prevented if his parents would quit smoking. If both parents who were smokers quit, the odds that their child will start smoking would be reduced by nearly 40 percent. And even more research shows that mother who quit are less likely to have children who start smoking. Smoking in the household gives the "okay" to teens, so that they think that it really doesn't matter if they pick up a few cigarettes, because their parents do it.
What I have said in this mere essay may not seem to mean anything to you. You may not be a smoker, and you would swear that you never will. But there are households in your world, your next door neighbor, your friends, coworkers etc. who are suffering from having the act of smoking passed on from generation to generation. It is your duty now to act on what you know, and put an end to generational smoking. I'm sure that there are tons of families just like Matt's who need help. Parents, if you're listening, put your lighters down.


http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/teensmoking/a/teensmokefacts.htm “Parents: Quit smoking and your children are less likely to smoke”. Reuters 28 May 2008. 13 November 2008. <http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS244814+28-May-2008+PRN20080528>.

teens smoking?

matthew died at the age of 55 yesterday. he was born and raised in kaneohe, Hawaii. matthew was raised by parents who didn't love each other, and when he was a kid, he took this as being normal. matt had to gather love from kids at schools, and from his teachers, because he wasn't getting any from his mom and pop. In his freshman year of high school, Joe asked matt if he wanted a cigarette. and that one cigarette turned into ten cigarettes. and ten cigarettes turned into two packs a day. and two packs led to three. then to four. his first cigarette led to his death.

these are usually the stories you see in the newspaper; fifty year old man died of lung cancer. there are so many questions as to why matt even took that first puff. maybe he didn't know it would cause his death. and eventually cause him to have to leave his family because of a desperate cry for some guidance, or attention, or security when he was young and vunerable.
and now, who is to blame...

parents are a childs biggest and most constant influence. who knew what it felt like to be a five year old matt, living in a home where good and bad were never really defined to him. trouble in the home can look so harmless from afar, but if you tried to step past the front door, you would see adults, without values strong enough, and a child in the corner suffering the consequences. mom could have told her son the truth. it's better than not telling him anything at all. studies show that kids love attention, and often crave it. you don't need to read a bunch of articles to know this. attention deprived, unsure, clueless and scared millions of teens in america are taking a puff of their first cigarette every minute. because they were not taught how important it is to make good choices, and resist peer pressure.